When Andrea Martinez opts for the can of juice instead of the
plastic bottle at the store, it’s apparent that the research
she performed on pollution in Lake Ontario has had an effect on
her.

She refuses to eat on Styrofoam plates, and whenever a cashier
gives her a plastic bag, her head fills with images of fish with
more plastic in their stomachs than food. The pollution of plastics
in the water is a problem that Martinez, a senior electrical
engineering major at UB, simply couldn’t ignore.

Along with Shayne McKay, a senior mechanical engineering major,
and Paul Glenn, a senior mathematical physics major, Martinez
participated in what organizers say is the first survey for plastic
pollution within the open waters of the Great Lakes.

Led by Sherri Mason, associate professor of chemistry at
Fredonia State College, the students searched for the concentration
and types of plastics in the water, and the effects the materials
have on the ecosystem.

The study was part of a seven-day long Environmental Research
and Communications Course provided by Pangaea Explorations, an
organization dedicated to marine exploration, education and
conservation.

From Montreal, Quebec, the group boarded the
Sea Dragon, the program’s 72-foot yacht, and journeyed down
the St. Lawrence Seaway, through the Thousand Islands—a chain
of 1,864 islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border—and
across Lake Ontario to Toronto, Ontario.

The UB students lived on the boat for seven days among a crew of
11, learning sailing terminology and deckhand duties, such as how
to raise a sail. With McKay at the helm, the Sea Dragon even
reached its top speed for the week at 9.7 knots.

Although none of the students had sailing experience prior to
cast off, each received an International Certificate of Competency
from International Yacht Training Worldwide by the end of the
course, certifying them as qualified deck hands.

Their participation in the course was funded through the SUNY
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), a program
dedicated to increasing the number of students from historically
underrepresented groups completing degrees in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

“The trip aboard the Sea Dragon provided our students with
a once in a lifetime experience to build character, broaden their
knowledge about the environment and gain a global
perspective,” says Letitia Thomas, assistant vice provost and
director of UB STEM programs. “We know our students are
brilliant engineers and scientists, but we also want them to
develop as people and become the next generation of leaders within
STEM and beyond.”

The rare opportunity allowed the UB students to witness
firsthand the shocking effects of pollution in the water.

“We saw people swimming just a hundred feet away from the
facial scrubs and Styrofoam balls we picked out of the water, on
the surface,” says Martinez. “I don’t know about
you, but when I swim, I swallow some of the water. I don’t
want to swallow some of the things I pulled out of that
water.”

On Sugar Island, one of the Thousand Islands, the group sampled
water from two locations that were 20 feet apart, one adjacent to
an area of land inhabited by people and the other not. Despite the
short distance, they found drastic differences between each
site’s water pH, temperature, quality and wildlife.

While not naïve enough to believe that people don’t
litter, Martinez couldn’t understand why there was so much
plastic in the water when the material is recyclable.

She soon learned that plastic is not biodegradable. The material
is, however, subject to photodegradation, and breaks into smaller
pieces due to light from the Sun.

Microplastics, defined as smaller than 5 millimeters, are not
only toxic, but can be mistaken for food by birds or fish. Eating
the small bits of debris can lead the animals to believe they are
full, when in reality they are malnourished or dehydrated. It could
even cause them to suffocate.

And because most animals can’t digest plastic, garbage
eaten by fish or birds remains in their bodies long after the
animal dies. People could also catch and consume animals filled
with the plastics.

The students realize they can’t avoid plastic altogether,
but each has worked to lower their use of material.

Glenn replaced his plastic Tupperware sets with tin containers,
which are more easily recycled than plastic. McKay no longer drinks
bottled beverages, and asks for paper bags at stores. And Martinez
has drafted a letter asking her employer to offer alternatives to
the plastic cups and Styrofoam plates used in the food lounge.

“We’re all humans and we share this Earth;
it’s everyone’s problem,” says Martinez.
“People should view this issue as ‘something I could
help solve,’ as opposed to, ‘something that’s too
big for me.’”